Should I bargain with CMU??

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
1

<p>Hello there. I got my financial aid today, and I am very pleased about my $33,000 package. So I decided to go to CMU.</p>

<p>However, I would like to see if I can get more aid.</p>

<p>I've heard that CMU wants us to tell them what financial aids we got from other schools comparable to CMU. I got into Case Western Reserve University with $20,800 scholarship, and the package that they offered me was about $42,000, which is actually couple hundred dollars MORE than the total cost.</p>

<p>Do you think I can bargin with CMU with the package I got from Case? CMU is better than Case for sure, but is it worth a try? My EFC is $2,421 and our family income is about $41,000. So I'm trying my best to help my parents...</p>

2

<p>oh man! I have a 2200~ EFC and a income of 41k~!! It'd be awesome if they gave us 33k! Do you mind telling me how much of that is in grants/scholarships?</p>

3

<p>I hope so. </p>

<p>Vanderbilt gave me $27,000 in Grants with a total package of $31,000. I hope Mellon is comparable.</p>

4

<p>This is my financial aid package..</p>

<p>Resident Cost of Attendance: 46,359
EFC: 2,421
TOTAL FINANCIAL NEED: 43,937</p>

<p>Financial Aid Offered...
CMU Undergrad Grant: 5,555
University Endowed Scholarship: 5,500
Federal SEOG: 3,000
Estimated Pell Grant: 1,600
Estimated Pennsylvania Grant: 4,100
Federal Work Study: 2,500
Estimated Federal Perkins Loan: 4,000
Suggested Subsidized Federal Stafford Load: 2,625
Suggested Carnegie Mellon Gate Loan: 4,000</p>

<p>TOTAL AID OFFERED: 32,880</p>

<p>Unmet Financial Need: 11,057</p>

<p>ESTIMATED BALANCE DUE:
Fall = 6,443
Spring = 6,753
Academic Year = $13,196</p>

5

<p>Estimated Pennsylvania Grant: 4,100</p>

<p>sucks I wont get that since I'm not from PA.</p>

6

<p>I'm glad I did ED because they meet full need. 30,000 in grants and 11,000 in loans isn't too bad.</p>

7

<p>What was your EFC ssechrist?</p>

8

<p>it was like 3500. I have a twin brother going to college too so that helped.</p>

9

<p>Crap. My EFC was $20,000.</p>

10

<p>GL. but be prepared to go to Case if you cannot comeup with the difference. You'd want to compare the sum of loans + the unfunded amount with each school. The smaller sum would be better offer.</p>

11

<p>Woo... that's nice mizera, you give me hope. That is about what my estimate was, but I was worried that the final would be a lot different especially because of the tuition hike. However, my family's income is lower than 40k (I think?) so it seems like I may be in luck... It's nice to have an artist mom and stepdad. It's also nice to have a dad who can cover the rest. Hopefully it will work out for me as well!</p>